Recently, I had the great good fortune to be reunited with my college advisor while working on a contract publishing assignment. We’d stayed in touch for many years after I earned my journalism degree but, eventually, the ebb and flow of life led those contacts to become fewer and farther between. It’s been wonderful to catch up on the latest news about his family and his career, but probably the best part was the chance to remind him in the course of conversation just how much help he’d provided to so many students during his teaching career. This got me thinking about all the people who provided advice and counsel when I was starting out. I think I’m going to use Valentine’s week to thank as many of them as I can.

The champions: Falcons Landing hosts an open premiere of the inspiring documentary, “Age of Champions,” on Friday, Feb. 10, at 2 p.m. in the community’s auditorium. The film tells the story of a group of athletes—a 100-year-old tennis champion, 86-year-old pole vaulter, swimming brothers and a team of basketball grandmothers—all going for the gold at the National Senior Games. Following the screening, Falcons Landing fitness coordinator Joevon Stennett and rehab care program manager Stacy Shull will host a brief discussion. The Cascades premiere is part of the film’s national grassroots campaign, launched in partnership with the AARP, National Council on Aging and National Senior Games. The event is free and open to the public. For more information on the film, go to ageofchampions.org. For information on the premiere, call 703-404-5120.

Noir at night: The Taking Flight Theatre Company opens its 2012 season on Friday, Feb. 10, with “Earth and Sky,” a crime fiction piece that travels back and forth along a murderous timeline to track a killer. The eastern Loudouners involved in the production include producer Natalie Safley and cast members Steve Oliverez, Ruth Neiveill and Jude Rodriguez—all Sterling residents. The cast also features Jim Johnson, of Ashburn; Michael Richardson, of Great Falls; David Segal, of Herndon; Kathleen Burnard, of Fairfax Station and Alexandria residents Lauren Palmer Kiesling and Mario Font. The show runs on weekends from Friday, Feb. 10, through Saturday, Feb. 25, at the Waddell Theatre on the Loudoun campus of Northern Virginia Community College. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 8 p.m. The Sunday shows start at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15, or $10 for students and seniors. For information, go to tftheatre.org.

Young love: The Cascades Library’s After Hours Teen Center hosts a Valentine Party on Friday, Feb. 10, from 7-10 p.m. The event, exclusively for middle and high school students, features free pizza, gaming, crafts, computer activities, music and more. This may be the perfect time to brainstorm costume designs for the Teen Center’s Mardi Gras Masquerade on Friday, Feb. 17. Parents, keep in mind that all teens attending the After Hours Teen Center must have a permission slip on file signed by a parent or guardian. For information, call 703-444-3228.

It’s the season: Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone in eastern Loudoun. Thank you very much for sending your news my way.

National certification: Physical education teacher Linda Thompson, who works at Potowmack, Rolling Ridge and Sterling elementary schools, is the first Loudoun County Public Schools teacher to receive national board certification in physical education. To become certified, Thompson thoroughly examined and wrote about her accomplishments as an educator, videotaped her lessons to analyze her instruction methods and worked with colleagues to identify her instructional strengths and weaknesses. She gathered the information into a portfolio showcasing her physical education program and took a comprehensive exam on best practices in physical education instruction. In addition to her teaching duties, Thompson is working on her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction at George Mason University. Many of her p.e. lesson plans have been published online on PE Central, a web site for physical education professionals, and she has served as a presenter at the annual Virginia Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance conventions.

Helping hands: The parents and members of the Dominion High School hockey club are holding a fundraiser Tuesday, Feb. 7, at Velocity 5 in the Great Falls Shopping Center to help with the on-going medical expenses related to Sharon Heiden’s recovery from cancer. Heiden, the wife of Dominion’s head coach, Brad Pivers, is the mother of four children. The evening features live music by singer and song writer Andrew Tufano, a member of the Dominion hockey team. From 5 until 10 p.m., 10% of all purchases at Velocity 5 will go to the Heiden-Piver family to help with medical bills.

Performing arts workshops: This week, the newly-formed StageCoach Theatre Company launches the first in a series of workshops along the route 7 corridor. On Saturday, Feb. 4, “Movement for Actors: What to Expect at a Dance Audition” takes place from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Sterling Ballet Academy in Sterling’s Community Plaza. The class covers the basic process of a dance audition, dance terminology and some basic dance steps. Expect to go through a simple dance audition, from start to finish, including learning and performing one dance combination. This is a good workshop for actors with an interest in auditioning for musicals. The fee is $45. On Sunday, Feb. 5, “Headshots and Resumes” will be offered from 1 to 3:30 p.m. at 44121 Harry Byrd Highway, Suite 240, upstairs from the Coney Island Diner. The workshop will provide information on what makes a good headshot and a good resume, a resume template and a review of your current headshot and resume. The fee is $50. Both sessions are taught by Tosia Shall, a working theater professional since 1994. Shall teaches musical theater, dance and acting, most recently at The Musical Theater Center in Rockville. For more information, go to stagecoachtc.com.

Christmas with tubas: During the holidays, students from Seneca Ridge Middle School and Park View High School helped fill the Kennedy Center with a joyful noise as they performed with more than 300 Washington area musicians of all ages in “TUBACHRISTMAS.” The annual event is part of a worldwide celebration that gathers tuba, sousaphone and euphonium players to play traditional Christmas music across the globe. The first “TUBACHRISTMAS” took place on Dec. 22, 1974 at the Rockefeller Plaza Ice Rink in New York.

This was the fifth year that Sterling students participated in the event. Park View High School band director Jonathan Phillip, a tuba player himself, wanted his students to enjoy the experience that began for him as a high school musician performing at “TUBACHRISTMAS” in Harpers Ferry. The year he launched the project, Phillip was dating the band director at Seneca Ridge and talked to her about bringing her students to the performance. She thought it would be a great opportunity for the younger musicians to spend time and perform with the older students—and a tradition was launched.

Today, the band directors are husband and wife. And, these days, Laurel Phillip, the Seneca Ridge Band Director, serves as the second conductor responsible for conducting the back of the “TUBACHRISTMAS” group at the Kennedy Center. The assembled band has grown so large that all of the musicians are unable to see the conductor at the front.

According to Phillip, she ended up in the job by being in the “right place at the right time.” One year, the master of ceremonies of the event, former National Symphony Orchestra principal tubist David Bragunier, was looking for a band director to help conduct the larger ensemble. A friend of hers happened to be talking to him and suggested Laurel for the slot. She’s been happily helping with the event since then.

“I contribute much more to conducting than playing,” said Phillip with a laugh. Although she can play the euphonium, a smaller version of a tuba (and many other instruments) very well, her primary instrument is the flute.

The “TUBACHRISTMAS” performers span all ages—from 11 to 85—and all professions. Some are students, some are professional performers from the area’s military bands, some are adults who’ve gone on to other careers who began music studies in middle school and some are parents who enjoy playing music with their children.

“It’s really neat to see and be a part of,” Laurel Phillips said.

The “TUBACHRISTMAS” performance is archived online with the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage offerings at http://www.kennedy-center.org/explorer/videos/?id=M4862. You can watch Laurel and the Sterling musicians on the streamed performance.

Eating hot chili: Sterling Middle School holds its third annual Bingo and Chili Cook-off fundraising event on Friday, Jan. 27. Chefs of all ages are working on fabulous chili recipes in a bid to take the crown from last year’s winner, Sterling Middle School assistant principal Joseph Guinther. The chili tasting begins at 6 p.m. The cost is $5 to taste all entries and $3 for a bowl of your favorite. Bingo begins at 7 p.m., with eight games including a jackpot round. Admission is $5 for all eight games. Extra cards are $1 each. Refreshments will be available. To submit a chili entry, contact Tammy Jones at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Win it: The Senior Center at Cascades presents an encore of its own version of the popular NBC game show, “Minute to Win It,” on Tuesday, Jan. 31, from 1 until 2 p.m. The action-packed entertainment includes opportunities to win gift cards to local restaurants. Admission is $7.